Afghanistan; -far too high a price!

            For some time I have been trying to come up with something that expresses my increasing concern at our ongoing involvement in Afghanistan. I accept (I think) that the main thrust as far as Canada is concerned is to aid in an evolving transition to a more democratic society. However every time I hear of yet another young soldier being killed I wonder if, even with the good intentions it’s all worth the effort. The ruined lives, the incalculable grief and loss which results, even if it had some positive effect, can never come remotely close to justifying the appalling price.  Nothing can be worse than this, yet there exists an increasing impression (-to me at any rate)  that by and large the Afghan populous fails to acknowledge the sacrifices or appreciates the efforts made.

            I have been trying to understand the mindset of the people. Why is there no apparent shortage in the supply of willing suicide bombers and why is there a perception that the Afghan effort seems half-hearted at best and duplicitous at worst?  The recent debacle where nearly 500 high risk prisoners tunneled their way to freedom under the noses of the guards is an example. Moreover, this wasn’t the first time. On a previous occasion nearly 1000 escaped.  What do they want and what’s more to the point, what do they really think?

Thankfully, I have been let off the hook. The subject has been addressed recently in a dynamic TED lecture on Empathy by sociologist Sam Richards. Given in front of an American audience at Penn State, he pulls no punches. Although he specifically aims his comments at the situation in Iraq, much of what he says can be read across to Afghanistan, where to the locals little distinction exists between any of the Western armed forces.

http://www.cmn.tv/videos/sam-richards-a-radical-experiment-in-empathy/

Polling polemics!

            Like most people I am appalled at the pre-election vandalism  involving the slashing of car tires and other damage to signs etc. However this whole debacle would be less of a factor if there were no election signs on the property of the victim(s) advertising the incumbents’ party of choice.

            During the run-up to any election, a plethora of these ugly signs suddenly blossom, defacing every neighborhood where they appear. What exactly are they supposed to achieve? Surely citizens who care about the outcome and are caring participants in the choices afforded by the democratic process, need no additional encouragement. Indeed the print and electronic media is choc-a-bloc with views, debates and associated commentary on the subject weeks before Election Day. Those whom I would refer to as “quality voters” use the foregoing to stimulate thought which will assist in shaping their views and maybe even change their political stripe.  Forests of tacky wood and cardboard signs are unlikely to have much if any effect..

            Perhaps worst of all are those who make frenetic attempts to persuade people to exercise their democratic right even though the entire subject is of little or no interest to them. Why? How much worth can be  placed on a vote made under duress merely to appease a family member or to get some political busybody off their backs. The ongoing obsession with “the size of the poll” is meaningless if a sizable chunk of the voters falls into this category. Provided that the final electorate is comprised of all voters who are genuinely involved, regardless of percentage, the ensuing government will truly represent the views of a diverse but thoughtful populous.

            Those not wishing to participate can then continue to follow their own stars; be it the Royal Wedding, Justin Beiber or the latest exploits of one Mr. Charles Sheen.   

More on the Raleigh Twenty

            I purchased the green 1973 Raleigh Twenty Folder (as shown in my post of March 3^rd ) from Africycle, a charitable organization dedicated to acquiring and transporting doner bicycles to Malawi where they are making a huge impact towards improving the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Some of the donated bicycles which are considered less than ideal for the Malawi environment are offered for sale to the Canadian public. Such was the green Raleigh Twenty.

The folding hinge. Note the dent in front mudguard!

            As can be seen in the pictures in my previous post, after the application of a considerable amount of TLC; underneath all the dust, bat shit and cobwebs emerged a remarkably nice bicycle. Indeed apart from some nasty dents in the mudguards and unsightly patches of rear wheel rim where the chrome had flaked off, it seemed that with a little more effort it would be possible to restore the bike to its original 1973 condition.

            At this time I noticed that Africycle had a second 1973 Raleigh Twenty for sale, so without further ado I returned to their premises in Uxbridge and snapped it up. It was of considerable satisfaction to me that not only had I made two sizeable contributions to their cause but that by way of receipt I had received two desirable pieces of cycling hardware.

            The second (brown) bike, although showing the results of wear and tear on its paintwork was fitted with a pair of excellent chrome mudguards and featured a rear wheel with all its chrome still in place! I therefore swapped these components with those on the green bike and hey presto -just like new! I overhauled the wheeI hubs, bottom bracket, head set, re-lubed the 3-speed hub and fitted some new tyres. At its conclusion I now had an excellent Raleigh Twenty in original 1973 configuration (apart from the tyres) which exceeded my expectations.

                                 The completed green 1973 Raleigh Twenty  







  I now turned my attention to the second bike and have begun a programme of weight saving (the original is no lightweight!). Stage One has replaced the steel stem, handlebars, and seat post with alloy units. The original Brooks saddle and heavy pedals have also been replaced with modern lightweight versions. So far this saved 1.2kg. Details of Stage Two will be forthcoming in due course. This will include alloy rims and new tyres. 

 Brown Raleigh before mods. 

Here is the link for Africycle. It's quite an impressive organisation run by a group of admirable young people.  

http://africycle.org/

All Creatures Great and Small

          Spring is upon us; the annual spring seal hunt is in progress and with it the predictable anti-seal protests. The arguments both for and against will no doubt continue; some based upon reasoned arguments and at the other extreme on sentimental, media and often pop-culture fuelled reactions to the soft-eyed cuddly appeal of the victims. Unfortunately, an increasing number of animals are drowning due to a lack of sea ice. This could well affect the situation and will serve to limit the annual quotas. Perhaps the protesters should consider supplying fleets of rescue boats to pluck the pups from an icy demise!

            My own view is one of dismay at the illogical inconsistency of the protesters who seem oblivious of more egregious examples of cruelty which exist across all sectors of the animal kingdom. The most obvious example is of course the huge animal food empire which on a continuing basis, subjects animals to a horrendous few weeks or months of cramped, shackled or restrained existence, many without seeing the light of day before being mercifully put out of their misery. Other than serious humane attempts to improve the quality of the short lives of the “crop” it’s difficult to see a change any time soon so long as we continue to eat meat and eggs (-myself included). However distressing the seal hunt might be, at least it is for the most part justified on the basis of commercial gain or economic necessity. This is particularly true in indigenous communities where hunting forms the essential (-in many cases the only) access to fresh meat and fish as well as providing income from the pelts. A similar argument can be made for farmers and others living in remote rural areas. Finally if  sadly, the argument for culling can be made in some cases.

            Apart from these exceptions, there exists an area of totally unjustified bloodletting which for some reason continues to be accepted. I refer to the activities of the hunting community which for some inexplicable reason basically continues its massacres unquestioned and above criticism. Indeed such activities are generally approved of and “blood sports” regarded as acceptable despite the fact that its sole justification appears to be merely satisfying a lust to kill or maybe just to appear machismo. The British Royal Family sets a particularly distressing example.

            Arguments to the effect that the hunting impulse forms part of the human psyche are all bogus. It is to be hoped that cultural development over the millennia would have reduced the barbarous and less civilized aspects of behavior. In the developed world we no longer need to be hunter gatherers. One assumes that the intrepid “sportsmen” no longer feel the necessity at days’ end to drag their wives by the hair into the matrimonial cave!

            I have experienced both sides of this. For the first twenty years of my life, I was fully immersed in gun culture. My father was the head gamekeeper of a large estate in rural England. I was taught gun culture at an early age and even had a .410 gauge shotgun at my disposal. Later on I graduated to the ubiquitous 12 gauge weapon.

            During the shooting season as a young lad, I found lucrative employment as a “beater”. My duties involved flushing pheasants from the undergrowth to meet their destiny at the hands of a number of wealthy members of the aristocracy who had paid handsomely to slaughter them -or anything else that moved! Since many of the feathered victims had been reared by my father specifically for the purpose, many of the unsuspecting and essentially tame birds, thinking that food was in the offing, ran towards rather than away from the beaters. They then had to be noisily encouraged to fly or run towards their executioners where they were dispatched -often at point blank range!

            At school I was a member of the cadet corps and taught to shoot Enfield .303 rifles. I was even successful enough to achieve the exalted status of “First Class Shot”. Later I became one of the very last of the RAF’s Air Gunners and my artillery education was expanded to include the aircraft-mounted Browning .5 machine gun and 20mm Hispano cannon as well as Bren and Sten machine guns. Target and skeet (clay pigeon) shooting also formed a part of ongoing training. As aircrew, a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver formed part of my equipment.

            All these pieces of machinery (the Sten excepted!) were beautifully designed and manufactured pieces of hardware. However, I could not help but reflect that they were all produced with the express intent to kill and maim. This chilling realization was something that caused me increasing discomfort. Prior to my militarization, somewhat to my father’s disappointment, I had already developed an aversion to the shooting fraternity. After returning to civilian life my distaste for guns in general and blood sports in particular escalated to one of abhorrence.

            As an alternative to hunting, target or skeet shooting require great skill -and are mainly benign. The only real difference in the target  -is life. I wonder why a clay facsimile of a bird is not an acceptable substitute for a sentient creature. To witness the beauty of any creature happily living its allotted span in its natural habitat is truly a joyful and uplifting experience. In contrast, how anyone for some form of personal gratification can willfully snuff out of the life of a deer, duck or whatever crosses their line of sight is entirely beyond my comprehension. Killing for fun is not only morally wrong; it says little for a society that accepts or is apathetic towards it.

    

   

How are the mighty fallen!

          As most followers will be aware, the grand old game of cricket had its origins in England. I played the game myself for a number of teams at a progressively deteriorating level for over twenty years. At this time, the international game was a much simpler affair than it is today. There were only four “premium” teams: England, Australia, West Indies and South Africa. Five, five-day Test matches were scheduled between them on a rotating basis. Of these, the “Ashes” series between England and Australia was the blue riband event. However, in addition to the above, somewhat patronizingly New Zealand was also granted their own Test series but with a total population somewhat less than that of a medium sized city, little was expected of them. Finally India, like the premium teams above, had a colonial history which the custodians of cricketing tradition and folklore conceded was sufficient to give them a crack at the big time. However, (-against England at any rate) the Test series were limited to three matches instead of the normal five, presumably to limit the degree of humiliation which India were expected to suffer. Pakistan had only recently achieved partition from India and Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon), like Pakistan and Bangladesh (previously East Pakistan) were fully occupied with providing the bare essentials of life and were not in the international cricketing firmament at all.

          Then came the phenomenon of the limited overs game. This, if nothing else, ensured that a complete game could be enjoyed in one day rather than the traditional five allocated to Test Matches. Not surprisingly this new excitement gave the game an enormous boost both in spectator turn out and in attracting a youthful following. This ultimately resulted in the introduction of the “One Day International” (ODI).Many more countries threw their cricket caps onto the pitch, including some as unlikely as Ireland. Ultimately, this led to the establishment of a World Cricket Cup Tournament, similar in format to the World Cup of Soccer and like it, to be held every four years. Each team would be limited to 300 balls (50 overs of 6 balls each over) in which to amass their score. The opposing team would then attempt to better this total, run out of balls -or lose all their wickets.

          Fast forward to February 2011 and the start of the latest World Cup Tournament, held this year in India. The results have been most illuminating. To say that the four erstwhile cricketing superpowers fared badly would be a gross understatement. None advanced beyond the quarterfinals. Indeed England was fortunate to make it this far with losses against Ireland (-the shame!) and Bangladesh (-who?) on the way! Finally they were put out of their misery; crushed by Sri Lanka, who surpassed the England total of 231 without losing even one wicket. West Indies suffered a similar fate being thrashed by Pakistan who passed their pathetic score of 111 without loss. South Africa went out at the hands of New Zealand and Australia (the existing World Cup holder) was dispatched by India.  Can you see the pattern?

The semi-finals boiled down to four teams once considered as rabbits by the cricketing intelligentsia -including for the first time, three from the Indian sub-continent. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka - plus New Zealand.

The riveting semi-finals eliminated Pakistan and New Zealand leaving India and tiny Sri Lanka to do battle for the trophy; Sri Lanka having only 6.5% of India’s population base from whom to draw their team.

April 2nd 2011.     What a steely nerve game!  After a classic final, India’s captain delivered the coup de gras with a huge six into the stands with just 10 balls to spare. Superb tournament - cricket played with great skill, athleticism and spirit, -congratulations to all! No doubt that India and Sri Lanka were the class of the field with Pakistan not far behind.

After a period of mourning and wound licking, hopefully the “big four” will take stock of their predicament and then consider what the heck they have to do to become competitive again.